Railway-tie.



J. H. AKIN.

RAILWAY TIE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1912. RENEWED FEB. 5. 191a.

Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

2 SHEETS$HEET 1.

W! TNESSES A flow/1e y Patented Aug". 5, 1913.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

J. H. AKIN.

RAILWAY TIE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.4, 1912. RENEWED FEB. 5, 1913 Kin wi/bwmeo r run.

JOHN H. AKIN, OF SUMNER, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-TIE.

Application filed April 4, 1912, Serial No. 688,541.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. AKIN, a citizenof the United States, residing at- Sumner, in the county of Chariton andState of lVlissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railway-Ties; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to railroad ties; and it more particularlyrelates to certain improvements in the construction of metal ties andmeans combined therewith for securing them to railroad rails of ordinaryconstruction.

An object of the invention is to provide a railroad tie of thischaracter with improved and easily accessible means for securing itsseveral elements together and to the rails.

A further objectof the invention is to provide an improved supportingmember or bridge, for connecting adjacent ties of this character and forsupporting the rail between the ties.

A further object is to reinforce certain portions of the ties, and togenerally improve ties of this character. 7

A still further object is to provide a rail supporting bridge of suchcharacter that all. of its parts may be easily accessible for applyingpaint or other anti-rust material.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more clearly set forthand pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application,Figure 1 is a plan view, showing fragments of two railway track railsclamped in position by means of one of my improved railroad ties. Fig. 2shows an elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional viewtaken on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmental detail view of one ofthe clamping members. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a combined washerand clamping member. Fig. 6 is aplan view of a somewhat modifiedconstruction, embodying the invention. Fig. 7 is a plan view of anothermodified form. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a combined draw-bar andbinder, employed in the modified form shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is acombined washer and binder to be used in connection with the membershown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a key-clip or binderSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5,1913.

Renewed February 5, 1913. Serial No. 746,418.

to be used in the construction shown in Fig. 7, and, Fig. 11 is a key tobe used in connection with the member shown in Fig. 10.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings in which similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several. views,the body of the tie comprises two angle-irons, or L-shaped members 15and 16, each having a horizontal base flange 17 and having verticalflanges l8 and 19 respectively. The vertical flanges 19 are providedwith elongated slots 20, the flanges 18 having apertures registeringwith said slots, bolts 21 being seated in the slots and apertures, forsecuring the flanges 18 and 19 together. The flanges 18 and 19 areformed with rail seats or recesses 22 and 23, respectively, and withretaining lugs 24 and 25, respectively, adjacent to or formed by theapertures. The top portions of the vertical flanges have a reinforcingrib 26, whereby the retaining lugs, as well as the other top portions ofthe vertical flange are strengthened. The upstanding flanges are eachformed with a longitudinal and horizontal semi-circular orconcavo-convexed portion consisting of a rib or ridge 27 and asemicircular groove 28, on opposite sides of the vertical flange, abovethe slots 20, or between said slots and the reinforcing ribs 26. hen thebase members 15 and 16 are secured together by the bolts 21, as shown,the grooves 28 register and form a cylindrical opening or housingbetween said flanges, and from end to end thereof for receiving adraw-bolt 29, provided with a hooked end portion 30 having parallelsides 31 and 32. The bolt 29 is also provided with a nut 33 and has awasher 34L fitted thereon, said washer having two parallel arms 35 and36, the latter being the longer. Seated upon the flanges 17 is asubstantially T-shaped support or bridge 37 having upstanding flanges 38on its lateral extremities, thereby forming a trough or railseat 39,between said flanges, said rail-seat being on the same horizontal planewith the bottoms of the recesses 22 and 23, of the flanges 18 and 19.The middle stem or web of the T-shaped rail 37 is directly under the web4.0 of the railroad rail, and thereby provides a more solid support thanis provided by otherwise constructed bridges for this purpose. 7

In assembling the several elements of the tie, and applying the railsthereto, the bolt 29 and its adjuncts.

29 is fitted into the grooves 28, the hooked end portion 30 engaging theend of the flange 19, which extends beyond the adjacent end of theflange 18. The washer 34 is then applied against the end of the flange18 which extends beyond the adjacent end of the flange 19, the long arm36 of said washer resting against the end of the flange 19, the shortarm 35 embracing the end of the flange 18, so that the adjacent ends ofthe flanges are held firmly together by means of said washer and saidhooked end of the bolt 29. Up to this time, the bolts 21 have not beentightened, but merely hold the flanges 18 and 19 together in slidablerelation, so that when the nut 23 is tightened on the bolt, the members15 and 16 are thereby caused to move in opposite directions, so that theretaining lugs 24 and 25 are brought into contact with the top of thebase-flange 40 of the trackrail, and retain said rail firmly within thetrough or seat 39. In thus moving the flanges by means of the members 29and 33, it will be seen that if a washer of ordinary construction wereemployed instead of the washer 34, there would be a tendency for saidwasher to leave the flange l8, and in doing so, to bend the bolt 29 andto force the flange 18 away from the flange 19, in an obvious manner;but, by providing the arms 35 and 36, on said washer 34, the arm 35prevents lateral movement of the bolt, while the arm 36 prevents thewasher 34 from becoming diagonally disposed relative to the bolt 29.That is, the arms 35 and 36 serve to hold the washer at right angles tothe axis of the bolt, and at the same time, to retain the adjacent endsof the flanges together. The purpose and operation of the hooked end 30of the bolt are similar to those described for the washer member 34.

By this construction, it will be seen that while the base portion of thetie is held firmly together by the bolts 21, the upper portion is heldtogether by means of the bolt It will also be obvious that, by thisconstruction, the bolt 29 and nut 33 are elevated above the railroad bedsufliciently to allow convenient access thereto, when it is desirable toplace, remove or replace a tie of this construction. It is obvious thatthe ribs or ridges 27 render the flanges 18 and 19 more rigid than wheresuch ribs are omitted, as well as to compensate for the loss of materialconsequent to the grooves 28. However, my invention does not essentiallydepend on the exact details of construction, as described, and I havetherefore shown in Figs. 6 and 7 certain modifications which do notmaterially depart from the embodiment of the invention alreadydescribed. In these modifications, the ridge 27 and groove 28 areeliminated, and in lieu of the draw-bolt 29 I provide a shorter drawbolt29*, the hooked end or hinder 30 of this shorter bolt being relativelythin and wide, so that it may be inserted into the slots 41 and 42,through the vertical flanges 18 and 19*. The bolt 29 is fitted with anut 33, which is seated on a combined washer and binder 34 having an arm35 and a relatively long arm 36*, the latter being provided with asemi-cylindrical groove 36 and provided with a cylindrical bore 36communicating with said semi-cylindrical groove. This washer member isseated on the drawbolt 29 which passes through the cylindrical bore andfits snugly in the semi-cylindrical groove, while the arm 35 engages theend of the flange 19 and coacts with the hooked end or binder member ofthe bolt 29 for holding the adjacent ends of the flanges 18 and 19together. It will be seen that the arms 35 and 36 operate in the mannerdescribed for the flanges 35 and 36. 0bviously, as the flanges l8" and19 are moved into engagement with the track-rail flanges 40, asdescribed in connect-ion with Figs. '1, 2 and 3, the bolts 21 are movedalong within the slots .20, and when the flanges 18 and 19 have reachedthe limit of their movement, the bolts 21 may then be tightened, so thatthey will coact with the bolt 29 or 29, for retaining the severalmembers in fixed rela tion to each other.

As shown by Figs. 7, 10 and 11, I may employ, in lieu of bolts, keys orwedges 43 each of which coacts with a two-arm keyclip 44, having an arm45 and a relatively 1 long arm 46, said arms being spaced apart equal tothe combined thickness of the vertical flanges 13 and 19 and embracingsaid flanges therebetween; said key-clip or binder member, being in theshape of an L, the base of which is at right angles to the flanges 18and 19 and forms a seat for the key 43. The flanges 18 and 19 areprovided with apertures 41 and 42 through which the key 43 and key-clip44 extend. It is obvious that when desirable to move the flanges 18 and19 for engagement with the rail flanges 40, it is only necessary toinsert the wedgeshaped key 43 and drive it to the position shown in Fig.7, whereby it will coact with said flanges and with the key-clip forthus moving the vertical flanges, and for holding them in the desiredfixed position.

It will be seen that in these several embodiments of my invention, Ihave provided a very substantial means of sup-porting and securingrailroad rails upon the railroad bed, that because of the wide base ofthese ties, the number required per mile of railroad may be very greatlydecreased without decreasing the supporting efi'iciency of the railroad,since the bridges 37 support the track rails between said ties.

I do not limit my invention to the exact details of construction,combination and arrangement of parts herewith described and shown; but,my invention may only be limited by a reasonable interpretation of thefollowing claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a metal railway tie, a tie body consisting of a pair of angleirons, each angle iron being formed with a longitudinal concavo-convexedportion, means securing the concavo-convexed portions into registrationand thereby forming a housing, and a bolt seated in the housing andcooperating with the angle irons for securing a railway rail thereto.

2. I11 a metal railway tie, a body consisting of a pair of angle ironsfitted together so as to form a pair of upstanding flanges and a pair ofhorizontal flanges, said upstanding flanges being formed withregistering concavo-convexed portions which form a cylindrical housing,means engaging the upstanding flanges between the housing and thehorizontal flanges for securing the angle irons together and meanswithin said housing for efliecting engagement of the upstanding flangeswith a railway rail.

3. In a metal railway tie, a tie body consisting of a pair of angleirons having upstanding flanges movably secured together and having rallengaging means thereon and having registering apertures therethrou h, ahooked and screw-threaded bolt extending through the apertures andembracing the opposite sides of the respective flanges, a combinedwasher and binder having an aperture and being provided with a groovecommunicating with the aperture, said bolt being seated in the grooveand aperture, said washer and binder being provided with an arm forengaging an end of one of the upstanding flanges, and means coactingwith the bolt and combined washer and binder for effecting engagement ofthe flanges with the rails.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN H. AKIN.

Vitnesses:

JOHN E. DAVIES, RUTH FITCH.

Copies. of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

